South Africa head Group A following Wednesday evening's draw in Durban, with Angola, Cape Verde and Morocco completing the grid.
And while Bafana have never lost to any of those three teams since their re-admission to the international stage, former Blackburn and Porto striker McCarthy says he knows first-hand the threat those national-team members can pose.
"Cape Verde has a huge immigrant base in Portugal and Holland and most of their players play in big clubs in these countries," the Orlando Pirates ace told the club's official website.
"I played with a lot of great players from there while I was in Portugal and I can attest that they are very good.
"As for Angola, fortunately we know them very well. I think Manucho (Goncalves) is having a good time in Spain with Valladolid, and they also have very good players who are doing well in Portugal."